It is 1863, but not the one it should be. Time has veered wildly off course, and moves are being made that will lead to a devastating world war. Prime Minister Lord Palmerston believes that by possessing the three Eyes of Naga he'll be able to manipulate events and avoid the war. He already has two of the stones, but he needs Sir Richard Francis Burton to recover the third.

The Secret of Abdu El Yezdi: Burton & Swinburne, Book 4

Burton and Swinburne return in a new series! The Beast is coming. History will be remade. Since the assassination of Queen Victoria in 1840, a cabal of prominent men - including King George V, HRH Prince Albert, Benjamin Disraeli, and Isambard Kingdom Brunel - has received guidance from the afterlife. The spirit of a dead mystic, Abdu El Yezdi, has helped them to steer the empire into a period of unprecedented peace and creativity. But on the eve of a groundbreaking alliance with the newly formed Greater German Confederation, scientists, surgeons, and engineers are being abducted - including Brunel!

The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man: Burton & Swinburne, Book 2

When a clockwork-powered man of brass is found abandoned in Trafalgar Square, Burton and his assistant, the wayward poet Algernon Swinburne, find themselves on the trail of the stolen Garnier Collection - black diamonds rumored to be fragments of the Lemurian Eye of Naga, a meteorite that fell to Earth in prehistoric times. His investigation leads to involvement with the media sensation of the age: the Tichborne Claimant, a man who insists that he's the long lost heir to the cursed Tichborne estate.

The Return of the Discontinued Man: Burton & Swinburne, Book 5

It's 9 p.m. on February 15, 1860, and Charles Babbage, the British Empire's most brilliant scientist, performs an experiment. Within moments, blood red snow falls from the sky and Spring Heeled Jack pops out of thin air in London's Leicester Square. Though utterly disoriented and apparently insane, the strange creature is intent on one thing: hunting Sir Richard Francis Burton!

The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack: Burton & Swinburne, Book 1

Sir Richard Francis Burton and Algernon Charles Swinburne are sucked into the perilous depths of a moral and ethical vacuum when Lord Palmerston commissions Burton to investigate assaults on young women committed by a weird apparition known as Spring Heeled Jack - and to find out why werewolves are terrorizing London's East End.

The Rise of the Automated Aristocrats: Burton & Swinburne, Book 6

Sir Richard Francis Burton's expedition has returned from the future, bringing with it knowledge of technologies that must remain secret if history is to proceed as it should. However, when one of his colleagues turns rogue, the secret falls into the hands of the very people most likely to misuse it.

The Diamond Conspiracy: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Book 4

Having narrowly escaped the electrifying machinations of Thomas Edison, Books and Braun are looking forward to a relaxing and possibly romantic voyage home. But when Braun's emergency signal goes off, all thoughts of recreation vanish. Braun's streetwise team of child informants, the Ministry Seven, is in grave peril, and Books and Braun must return to England immediately.

A Red Sun Also Rises

Aiden Fleischer, a bookish priest, finds himself transported to an alien world. With him is Miss Clarissa Stark, a crippled hunchback of exceptional ability, wronged by an aristocrat and cast out from society. On the planet Ptallaya, under two bright yellow suns, they encounter the Yatsill, a race of enthusiastic mimics who shape their society after impressions picked up from Clarissa’s mind. Creating a faux London, the alien creatures enroll Clarissa in their Council of Magicians and Aiden in the City Guard.

Dawn's Early Light: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences

After being ignominiously shipped out of England following their participation in the Janus affair, Braun and Books are ready to prove their worth as agents. But what starts as a simple mission in the States - intended to keep them out of trouble - suddenly turns into a scandalous and convoluted case that has connections reaching as far as Her Majesty the Queen.

The Living End: Daniel Faust, Book 3

As the FBI closes in on the Las Vegas underworld, Daniel Faust - grifter, thief, and sorcerer - isn't the only one feeling the heat. Half-demon racket boss Nicky Agnelli is fighting to hang on to his empire, leaving a trail of dead informants in his wake, while Daniel's ex-girlfriend, Jennifer, rallies her forces on the street and aims her sights at Nicky's crown. May the best villain win.

The Shadow Revolution: Crown & Key, Book 1

As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts.

The Janus Affair: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, Book 2

Certainly no strangers to peculiar occurrences, agents Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are nonetheless stunned to observe a fellow passenger aboard Britain's latest hypersteam train suddenly vanish in a dazzling bolt of lightning. They soon discover this is not the only such disappearance...with each case going inexplicably unexamined by the Crown. The fate of England is once again in the hands of an ingenious archivist paired with a beautiful, fearless lady of adventure.

Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel

Evil is most assuredly afoot - and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade... and a librarian. These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences - the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling - will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest...

Tokyo Raider: A Tale of the Grimnoir Chronicles

With the Japanese Imperium at war with the Soviet Union, and the United States watching cautiously on the sidelines, Second Lieutenant Joe Sullivan of the U.S. Marines is sent on a dangerous mission to Tokyo. The Russians have Summoned a demon of epic proportions to attack the city, and all that stands in its deadly path is an untested Japanese super-robot. Now, Joe is at the controls, his gravity-spiking Power at the ready. But that is one huge, mean Demon....

Romulus Buckle & the Engines of War: The Chronicles of the Pneumatic, Book 2

The frozen wasteland of Snow World - known as Southern California before an alien invasion decimated civilization - is home to warring steampunk clans. Crankshafts, Imperials, Tinskins, Brineboilers, and many more all battle one another for precious supplies, against ravenous mutant beasts for basic survival, and with the mysterious Founders for their very freedom. Through this ruined world soars the Pneumatic Zeppelin, captained by the daring Romulus Buckle.

Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders

In a postapocalyptic world of endless snow, Captain Romulus Buckle and the stalwart crew of the Pneumatic Zeppelin must embark on a perilous mission to rescue their kidnapped leader, Balthazar Crankshaft, from the impenetrable City of the Founders. Steaming over a territory once known as Southern California — before it was devastated in the alien war — Buckle navigates his massive airship through skies infested with enemy war zeppelins and ravenous alien beasties in this swashbuckling and high-octane steampunk adventure.

The Undying Legion: Crown & Key

When monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane comes across the gruesome aftermath of a ritual murder in a London church, he enlists the help of magician-scribe Simon Archer and alchemist extraordinaire Kate Anstruther. Studying the macabre scene, they struggle to understand obscure clues in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into the victim's heart - as well as bizarre mystical allusions to the romantic poetry of William Blake. One thing is clear: Some very potent black magic is at work.

Monster Hunter Nemesis

Agent Franks of the U.S. Monster Control Bureau is a man of many parts - parts from other people, that is. Franks is nearly seven feet tall and all muscle. He's nearly indestructible. Plus he’s animated by a powerful alchemical substance and inhabited by a super-intelligent spirit more ancient than humanity itself. Good thing he’s on our side. More or less.

Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files

When an unknown someone shoots him and leaves him to die, Harry Dresden hopes he might be heading to a better place. Unfortunately being dead doesn't make Harry's life any easier. Trapped between life and death, he learns that his friends are in serious trouble. Only by finding his murderer can he save his friends and move on - a feat that would be a lot easier if he had a body and access to his powers. Worse still are the malevolent shadows that roam Chicago, controlled by a dark entity that wants Harry to suffer even in death.

The Hidden Family: Merchant Princes, Book 2

Miriam, a hip tech journalist from Boston, discovered her alternate world relatives in The Family Trade and with them an elite identity she didn't know was hers. Now, in order to avoid a slippery slope down to an unmarked grave, Miriam, known as Lady Helge to the Family, starts applying modern business practices and scientific knowledge to a trade dominated by mercantilists - with unexpected consequences for three different timelines, including the quasi-Victorian one exploited by the hidden family.

The Immorality Engine

Welcome to the bizarre and dangerous world of Victorian London, a city teetering on the edge of revolution. Its people are ushering in a new era of technology, dazzled each day by new inventions. Airships soar in the skies over the city, whilst ground trains rumble through the streets and clockwork automatons are programmed to carry out menial tasks in the offices of lawyers, policemen and journalists. But beneath this shiny veneer of progress lurks a sinister side.

Foxglove Summer: A Rivers of London Novel (Peter Grant, Book 5)

Peter Grant - cop, magical apprentice, and Londoner to the core - is being forced out of his comfort zone and into the English countryside. His latest case involves the disappearance of children in the small village of Herefordshire, and the local police are unwilling to admit there might be a supernatural element involved. Now Peter must deal with them, local river spirits, and the fact that all the shops close by 4 P.M.

Redemption Song: Daniel Faust, Book 2

Daniel Faust, Las Vegas sorcerer and career criminal, has never pulled the trigger on an innocent man. When the infernal Prince Sitri challenges him to do just that, though, he can't walk away. His lover, Caitlin, is Sitri's right hand... and if Daniel refuses the job, he'll never see her again. While Daniel works to unravel Sitri's twisted game, putting his principles and his life on the line, Caitlin has problems of her own.

Moseh's Staff

London is in the frozen grip of an unnatural winter, and Queen Victoria wants answers. Cara and Nate know who - the Curator. The queen's artifact hunters just don't know what is responsible. Cara is on the trail of an ancient and powerful artifact capable of freezing a city and stirring demons. First she must confront her past and her father's history. Only in learning why her father became a disciple of the Curator can she hope to learn what the old noble seeks and why he is so fascinated by her.

Publisher's Summary

Africa, 1863. Sir Richard Francis Burton, an explorer, a linguist, a scholar, and the king's agent - or is he a puppet being manipulated by forces he cannot understand? A race to find the source of the Nile! Algernon Charles Swinburne - a famous young flame-haired poet, thrill-seeker, and follower of the Marquis de Sade. For him, pain is pleasure, and brandy is ruin! Back to where the adventure began!

It is 1863, but not the one it should be. Time has veered wildly off course, and moves are being made that will lead to a devastating world war. Prime Minister Lord Palmerston believes that by possessing the three Eyes of Naga he'll be able to manipulate events and avoid the war. He already has two of the stones, but he needs Sir Richard Francis Burton to recover the third. For the king's agent, it's a chance to return to the Mountains of the Moon to make a second attempt at locating the source of the Nile. But a rival expedition led by John Hanning Speke stands in his way, threatening a confrontation that could ignite the very war that Palmerston is trying to avoid!

Caught in a tangled web of cause, effect, and inevitability, little does Burton realize that the stakes are far higher than even he suspects. A final confrontation comes in London, where, in the year 1840, Burton must face the man responsible for altering time—Spring Heeled Jack!

Burton and Swinburne's third adventure completes the three-volume story arc begun in The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack and The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man.

In the words of our hero, Sir Richard Francis Burton, “Bismillah!” This book was...not as good as the first two. I hate to say it. It hurts me to say it. I loved the other books so much that I couldn’t imagine where the third could even go. I was giddy. But rather than stomp around England, we spend ~75% of the book traveling from England to the Arabian peninsula to eastern Africa to the mysterious Mountains of the Moon, and maybe 10% dealing with what happens when we actually get there. There’s plenty of action, but also a lot of repetition.

And when we finally get to the end, it just falls a little short. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe the author had a tough time wrapping up his myriad storylines into one discreet package. I was disappointed, because I wanted to love this one as much as the others. All that being said, I would still recommend the trilogy to everyone and anyone. Narrator Gerard Doyle, you are my hero.

This trilogy was so great it started out as an adventure turned into a mystery and then ended up a statement on fate vs destiny. Nature vs Nurture in its extreme form. Do the choices we make just change us or theworld. What started out as light fantasy became very deep thought provoking novel on the meaning of it all.

What did you like best about this story?

The whole trilogy came full circle and now I have to listen to it all over. Do the choices we make change our fate or are they just different choices that take us down the same path. Burton and Swinburne will never know.

What about Gerard Doyle’s performance did you like?

I love gerard Doyles voice I can and did Listen to it night and day. I feel like I felt everything the characters felt. with all of my senses. This trilogy is exciting, funny, thought provoking and at last heartbreaking.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The more things change the more they stay the same.

Any additional comments?

I am a huge audible listener with over 70 books in my library. This trilogy by Mark Hodder is so far is my favorite listen.

The performance is excellent, and the book is very well-written and colorful, which is why I gave it so many stars. However, it has serious problems.

- The overall plot lacks the fun and adventure of the previous books.

- Africa seems so horrible, I don't know why anyone would want to go there. It makes the explorers seem totally barmy. It's also not much fun to read about bugs and ulcers and watch the horses die one by one.

- Bad thing after bad thing happens, with no relief (except the parakeets), making for a tiring listening experience.

- The author switches focus to the Eugenecists and their plant machines. That's fine, except... they are impossible. It isn't genetics that keeps a tree from reaching 30' maturity in 2 days, it's plain old physics. I could ignore the tech-y impossibilities, imagining they found some way around it (Fornby coal), but the existence of the plant-things broke my suspension of disbelief repeatedly.

- All the female characters in this series have 2 purposes: Serve the hero's supper, and/or die for the hero. Really? In 2012? We can do better.

- The ending. Without giving anything away, I can tell you that it is a complete non-ending. Nothing is resolved. Also, disappointingly cliche.

Reading back, it does sound like I hated the book. I ... guess I did. Thing is, I know myself and I know that I object strongly to things many people actually like. For example, I hate Game of Thrones for most of the same reasons (grim, dark, women are stupid, animals are abused and killed, everyone dies). I think, if you can enjoy books despite, or because of, unrelentingly grim storylines, then you will probably enjoy this book.

Ending still stinks, though.

SPOILER-ISH WARNING: (Lots of characters die here, so brace yourself, or don't read it if that kind of thing ruins a book for you.)

I think even Mark Hodder could agree that these Characters and their steampunk adventure could have gone on for several more books. The only reason I gave this story four stars is because it was too much information in one book, it was hard to keep up! But, it needed an ending and he tied most everything together.

See my review on the first book for my overall thoughts of the series.

The first two books in the series were refreshingly different, and time travel stories always appeal to me. But this one, in which our heroes are trudging across Africa not just once, but concurrently in two different times, undergoing mind-numbingly incessant privations, became a chore to finish. It was a big relief to make it to the end. And now I find that there is a fourth book! I will give it a fair chance, but I don't know if I can wade through another 15 hours if it's going to be another downer story. Good thing audible is reasonable about letting you return books you don't like.

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